Sullivan’s Sky Writer Onboard Smoke System
uses an internal microprocessor, allowing the
smoke rate to be proportionally controlled
from your transmitter while slaved to your
throttle during flight. The Sky Writer weighs
less than 4 oz., operates on any 4.8–12V
battery, and includes all fittings and tubing
required. The Streamer Smoke Oil and Glow
Fuel field-box pumps feature ultrasonically
welded pumps and three-position switches,
and are rated at 33 oz./minute.

sullivanproducts.com

Warbird Pilots Highly Detailed
Scale Pilot Figures

Item nos. vary -> $65 and up

Warbird Pilots offers a full line of highly
detailed 1/8-, 1/7-, 1/6-, 1/5-, 1/4-, and (all-new)

50 different figures available. A wire-frame
cotton-filled body keeps them incredibly
light, and they can be put into any position.

An adjustable seated height accommodates
any cockpit. Pilots are outfitted with scale
accessories, making them perfect for your
scale project.

warbirdpilots.com

Admiral ................................... 51

Amimon ................................. 45

Bat-Safe ................................. 51

Blade ...................................... 45

Byron Originals.................. 54

Detrum .................................. 48

Dynam .................................... 38

E-Flite .................................... 38

FlightLine RC........................ 41

Free wing ............................... 43

Great Planes........................ 41

Hangar 9............................... 44

Hitec RCD USA............ 48–52

HobbyEagle ......................... 50

Jeti USA ................................. 48

Krill Models ......................... 44

Mercury Adhesives.......... 54

Morgan Fuel........................ 54

Multiplex USA............. 38–40

MVVS Engines .................... 46

Pilot RC.................................. 44

Racer’s Edge........................ 51

Rage R/C ................................ 41

RCGuys.com ........................ 44

RISE ........................................ 45

Skymaster USA.................. 43

Southwest Systems ....... 46

Spektrum ............................. 48

Sullivan ................... 46–47, 55

Tactic ...................................... 48

Tower Hobbies................... 42

Warbird Pilots .....................47

Wildcat Fuels...................... 55

Zap Glue ................................ 55

Z TW.......................................... 52

ABC: Term that refers to the materials
used in the engine. An ABC engine is
one with an aluminum (A) piston that’s
fitted inside a brass (B) sleeve that’s
chrome (C) plated.

Adverse yaw: Yaw generated when
the ailerons are used. The lifting wing
generates more drag, causing an
airplane to yaw (turn) out of the turn.

Aileron: Roll control surface.

Ampere (amp) (A): Standard unit of
electric current.

Ao A (angle of attack): Angle difference
between the wing chord line and the
relative wind.

Base leg: Portion of the landing pattern

90 degrees to the final approach.

Battery eliminator circuit (BEC):

Circuitry that allows the battery that
runs the motor to also power the
receiver and the servos.

Brushed motor: Older, traditional
type of electric motor where brushes
make contact between the rotor and
the stator.

Brushless motor: Popular electric
motor now used to power RC electric
aircraft. More powerful than traditional
brushed motors.

Capacity: Measure of how long you
can draw a specified current from a
battery. Measured in amp hours (Ah)
or, more commonly for the scale of
equipment used for electric flight, in
milliamp hours (mAh).

Climbout: Gain in altitude after takeoff.

Con rod: Short for “connecting rod.”
Connects the piston to the crankshaft.

Crosswind leg: Portion of the traffic
pattern that’s 90 degrees to the
runway and directly opposite of the
base leg.

Current: Flow rate of electrical energy
measured in amps.

Dihedral: Upward angle of the two
wing panels relative to the fuselage.

Contributes to the model’s roll stability.
Doublers: Items glued to the inside of
the fuselage sides to add strength in
specific, high-stress areas.

Downwind leg: Portion of the traffic
pattern that is flown in the opposite
direction of the wind. The downwind
leg is directly opposite the upwind leg
and parallel to the runway.

Drag: Force that acts to slow down
the airplane.

Elevator: Pitch control surface.

Engine case: Main body of the engine.

Gravity (G-force): Force that pulls
down on the model, measured in Gs
or G-forces.

Final approach: Upwind portion of
landing pattern after base leg and just
before flare and landing.

Firewall: Engine is attached to this part,
and sometimes the model’s nosewheel
is also secured to it.

Flare: Gradual increase in pitch angle
to bleed off excess airspeed just
before landing.

Formers: Internal vertical structures
that support the sides and give the
fuselage its strength and rigidity.

Fuel mixture: Mixture of air and fuel
drawn into the engine through the
carburetor.

Fuselage: Main body of the airplane.

All the other parts and components
are attached to it. The fuselage houses
most of the airborne radio equipment
and the powerplant.

Head: Part on top of the engine that is
usually bolted in place. At its center is a
threaded hole for the glow plug.

Heading: Actual direction the model
travels over the ground, not the
direction the model is pointing.

Horsepower (hp): Measure of the rate
of work— 33,000 pounds lifted one
foot in one minute, or 550 pounds
lifted one foot in one second. Exactly

746 watts of electrical power equals
one horsepower.

Leading edge (LE): Very front edge of
the wing. It is rounded to allow the air
to flow easily over both the top and
bottom surfaces.

Lift: The force exerted on the top of a
moving airfoil as a low-pressure area,
which causes a wing to rise.

LiPo: Term that stands for “
lithium-ion polymer.” The most modern kind
of battery pack that’s used in electric
aircraft.

Longeron: Long, sticklike part that
runs from nose to tail. It supports and
strengthens the fuselage structure.
mAh (milliamp hour): Measure of a
battery’s total capacity. The higher the
number, the more charge a battery can
hold and, usually, the longer a battery
will last under a certain load.

Main spar: Part that gives the wing its
longitudinal strength. It runs from the
wing root (middle of the wing) all the
way to the tip.

Ni-Cd: Abbreviation for nickel-cadmium battery cells.

NiMH: Abbreviation for nickel-metal-hydride battery cells.

Pitch: One of the three axes in flight,
this specifies the vertical action or the
up-and-down movement.

Port: Channel or opening inside the
engine that guides and transfers the
fuel and air mixture from the crankcase
to the combustion chamber. Opened
and closed by the piston’s up-and-down motion.

Power: For electric models, this is a
product of voltage and amps, and it is
measured in watts.

Rib: Part that gives the wing its cross-section shape; the shape is also known
as an “airfoil.” It is this shape that
generates the lifting force that allows
airplanes to fly.

Roll: One of the three axes in flight,
this specifies the action around a
central point.

rpm (revolutions per minute): The
number of times an object completely
rotates (360 degrees) in one minute.
Rudder: Part that controls the model’s
yaw (nose-left and nose-right
movement). Deflecting the rudder
swings the nose left or right while in
flight. Rudder input also steers the
model on the ground while taxiing and
is used to correct a flight condition
known as “adverse yaw.”

Sleeve: Inside cylinder lining that
houses and guides the piston. It is a
separate piece from the engine case
and has openings or ports cut into its
side. There are some engine designs
that do not have a separate sleeve.
Stall: Sudden loss of lift when the angle
of attack increases to a point where
the flow of air breaks away from a wing
or airfoil, causing it to drop.

Stringer: Similar to a longeron but is
typically small and used to support
the model’s covering, which gives the
fuselage its shape.

Taxi: Travel across the ground.
Thrust: Force that pulls (or pushes) a
model forward. Thrust is created by the
propeller as the engine or motor spins
it. A propeller has an airfoil-shaped
cross-section.

Torque: Twisting force created by the
engine spinning a propeller. The force
acts in the opposite direction of the
rotating propeller.

Trail edge ( TE): The tapered, most aft
edge of the wing. More shapely and
smaller than the LE to help the air
passing over and under the wing to
come back together with a minimum
of drag or turbulence.

Trim: Secondary transmitter controls to
adjust the amount of rudder, elevator,
and throttle.

Upwind leg: Portion of the traffic
pattern that is flown into the wind.
The upwind leg is directly opposite
the downwind leg and parallel to
the runway.

Voltage (V): Unit of electromotive force
that, when applied to conductors, will
produce current in the conductors.
Watt ( W): The amount of power
required to maintain a current of

1 ampere, at a pressure of one volt,
when the two are in phase with each
other. One horsepower is equal to
746 watts. Watts are the product of
volts and amps.

Wing: Part that produces lift. It consists
of several parts and subassemblies.
Wing saddle: Part of the fuselage that
the wing rests upon. The wing saddle
is usually also the main opening for
access to the radio equipment.
Wingtip: Part at the very end of the
wing panel. Mostly cosmetic.

Yaw: One of the three axes in flight,
this specifies the side-to-side
movement of an aircraft on its vertical
axis, as in skewing.